John Andrews warns against GOP dissension) The debate over taxes, spending, debt, and TABOR is an important one for Republicans. Our party focuses more on what government might do to you than on what it can supposedly do for you. So we advocate limitations on ever-larger government. But how strict should the limits be? That’s where reasonable people can differ. Yet even when Republicans find ourselves divided over taxes, there are still many strong beliefs that should unify us as a party – and stiffen our backbone against the opposition party. Here are 20 examples. Look at all the good reasons we have to stick together! Most Republicans readily agree with each statement below. Most Democrats do not. They would either flatly disagree with the statement, or they’d be very uneasy with it. And even when we do come to the tax issue (21st on this particular list), our recognition of the danger present here is a clear point of contrast with the Dems.
Now consider this: unless the GOP remains a united, competitive force in the political arena, we leave our beliefs undefended for the liberals to roll forward in transforming this country into a very different place from what it is today. So the choice is ours – hang together or hang separately.
1. Our rights come from God, not government, and they belong to individuals, not groups.
2. God is real, according to the best evidence of human wisdom throughout the ages, and religious faith is generally beneficial for human well-being.
3. Our constitution is a permanent document that must be followed in its original written meaning unless formally amended – not a living document to be remolded by judges
4. America is and must remain one common culture, a melting pot enriched by many influences – not a multicultural salad bowl.
5. Federalism should continue as intended by America’s founders, with checks and balances between state power and federal power.
6. Private property is essential to a free society.
7. Free enterprise is the best system for creating opportunity and sharing wealth.
8. Courts and judges should interpret the law and the constitution as written – not seek to rewrite them. They should enforce personal responsibility and protect those who have been harmed – not conduct a lawsuit lottery.
9. Crime should be punished as a matter of personal responsibility, not excused as a matter of therapy.
10. Guns and other means of personal self-defense should be minimally regulated.
11. American military superiority is necessary in a dangerous world.
12. National security is better served by American sovereignty than it is by the United Nations.
13. Schools should respect parental choice and authority – challenge children with a high standard of truth and virtue – and be staffed by education professionals, not labor unions.
14. Colleges should not use tax dollars to teach our young people that Western civilization is worthless and America is a nation to be ashamed of.
15. Welfare should be a safety net for misfortune, not a hammock for dependency.
16. Health care policy should be based on personal choice, personal responsibility, and free markets.
17. Transportation policy should be based on individuals having freedom of mobility in their own cars.
18. Environmental policy should recognize humans as the highest species and economic growth as a positive good.
19. Abortion law should recognize there is not just one life but two lives in the balance when a woman seeks to end a pregnancy.
20. Marriage between one man and one woman warrants preference in law for its humanly natural, socially nourishing, and historically proven benefits.
21. Taxes are necessary as part of the price we pay for a civilized society, but taxes are also dangerous because the power to tax involves the power to destroy.